Rhuul's Flame (4 page)

The Bruna seemed antsy, often turning to look over his shoulder as if he was about to speak. Each time he looked back, Rhuul would shake his head and point at Ghena, his silent command to follow the fiend.

“What are you called, little one?” Talloc walked a little faster, catching up with their guide.

“I am Ghena.” He popped a berry into his mouth and offered a small smile.

“Tell me, Ghena, is he always this grumpy?”

“
He
is focused on arriving at our destination.
He
can hear you.” Rhuul rolled his eyes before returning his attention to the landscape around them.

Talloc shrugged and kept walking. “Ghena, did you know they have haraka berries in Ulanar too? They’re not in season yet, but when they are, there’s a festival. They make a sweet wine with them, and they also have special syrups made. I actually like—” Talloc stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky. “Larka bird!” And just like that, he morphed, becoming an exact duplicate of the winged creature.

“Oh, this is just perfect! First he won’t shut up, and now he can’t stay in one form.” Rhuul threw his hands into the air and shook his head. “Keep going, Ghena.”

Ghena nodded and bounded ahead.

Talloc took flight, flying just overhead. When he spotted a large lizard-like creature near a bush, he changed again, taking its shape.

“Are all Bruna so … unstable?” Rhuul watched Talloc morph again, taking the shape of a large tuft of grass.

“Yes, actually. They don’t stay in one form for very long. I guess you could say they get bored easily.” Ghena laughed, but Rhuul didn’t find the situation amusing.

“Hmm, fiends are too easy. I know!” Talloc changed into an exact duplicate of Rhuul. “What do you think?”

“Change back. Now!” He waited for the Bruna to take another form, this time a large rock. He marched right over to him and stared at the lump of stone. “If you ever take my form again, I will do things that will make you beg me to kill you.”

A slight rustling sound forced his gaze to his left, his swords in his hands in a flash.

“Easy there, stranger. There’s a tax for passing through here without an escort.” Two Corri emerged from a grouping of bushes. One carried a spear, while the other held two books in his hands.

“Without an escort.” Rhuul looked over at Talloc, who was still a boulder. “Damned useless Bruna…” He turned his attention back to the two Corri and spread his feet. “If you think I’m going to give you anything besides a fight, you’re wrong. Now let me pass, or I’ll take your heads.” He fingered the hilts of his swords, sizing up the Corri with the thick tomes in his palms. Avalea’s warning about their ability to bind his powers came to mind, but he wasn’t worried.

“Not a smart move, stranger. Your tax just tripled.” The Corri with the spear nodded, and his companion tossed the tomes.

Rhuul looked on as the books floated on either side of him, their pages flipping.

“Impossible! How are your swords still here?” The Corri who’d thrown the books took a step back, his mouth hanging open.

“It’s simple really. These swords are real.” Rhuul, like most Eidon, conjured his weapons, but they weren’t made of magic. The weapons were stored in a different plane; the only magic involved was calling them to his hands. All the tomes did was ensure he wouldn’t be able to dismiss them.

“I’d run if I were you.” Talloc moved to Rhuul’s side, back in Corri form.

“Nice of you to join us, Talloc. Convenient how your bravery comes when the threat is eliminated.” Rhuul’s focus was back to the Corri in a heartbeat. “No, there will be no running. One of you is going to lead me to the wastelands.” He spread his wings and dashed forward, taking the spear-wielding Corri by surprise. A slight gurgling sound escaped the blue man’s throat, and Rhuul followed his gaze down, watching the pommel protrude from his abdomen.

When the other Corri tried to run, he flapped his large wings and jumped, landing in his path. “There’s a woman being tortured in the wastelands. I need to find her. You have two choices. Take me to her, or die.”

* * * *

Rhuul wasn’t sure how long they traveled behind the captured Corri. The fixed positions of the two suns made it hard to mark the passage of time. Ghena walked next to him, while Talloc morphed into whatever he saw along the way.
At least all that shape-shifting keeps him quiet.

“We’re here.” The Corri spoke in a soft voice and kicked the dirt away from a smooth wooden door hidden beneath the loose earth.

Talloc changed again, taking on the form of their Corri guide. “He may try to activate traps.”

Rhuul nodded and lifted his hands to the sides of the Corri’s head with great speed. A loud
crunch
pierced the quiet, the sound of a neck being broken. He looked on as Talloc opened the door, revealing stone stairs leading into what appeared to be a dimly lit tunnel. He followed the Bruna inside, his arms loose at his sides. As soon as he reached the base of base of the steps, he spread his wings wide. His skin tingled as he readied himself for any surprise attacks or random Corri.

The hall was lit with torches in sconces affixed to the yellow earthen walls. The path curved in front of them, and the sound of voices filtered toward them.

Talloc walked ahead, until his voice could be heard delivering a greeting.

So he is useful for a change.
Rhuul held his ground, listening for any sign of trouble. A loud shriek made every muscle in his body contract. He didn’t think; he didn’t plan; he ran. He knew that voice, had heard it in his dreams.

Talloc came into view, engaged in conversation with two Corri. The look of surprise on their faces would remain for all eternity. He extended his swords as he passed, and in two simultaneous, brutal slashes, he left their heads rolling at Talloc’s feet.

“That was … you have issues.” Talloc ran to keep up with him, still in his Corri form.

“Nooooo!”

Another scream, and Rhuul’s heart raced as he closed in on the sound. Another Corri stepped into the hall, but he never had a chance to react. Rhuul plunged his blade into his chest and gave it a twist before yanking it out roughly. He didn’t linger and raced around the corner.

“Where is my
nystrum?
” The male’s voice was deep, filled with malice and threat.

Rhuul kicked open the door in time to see a Corri using a strange rod on a woman chained from the ceiling. Her head hung forward, a curtain of hair preventing him from seeing her face.

“Who the hell are you?” The surprised torturer whirled around, pointing the rod in his direction.

“R-Rhuul…” The woman’s voice was weak. When she lifted her head, a large lump formed in his throat.

“Avalea?”

“Yes.” Tears ran down her cheeks, filling him with a rage he didn’t know he was capable of.

Rhuul found he had to tear his gaze away from her, but when he did, he closed the distance between himself and the Corri. One quick slash and the blue hand that held the rod hit the floor. He ignored the shrieks of pain and advanced again. This time, his prey avoided his strike. “Talloc, get her down from there.”

“On it.” Talloc hurried past, and soon after, the sound of rattling chains pierced the air.

“You’ll never leave here alive, you know that, right?” The injured Corri held his wrist, his breaths coming in shallow pants.

Rhuul didn’t speak; he rushed forward again. He anticipated his target’s avoidance and moved with him. He lifted his arm and brought it down, slashing him across the chest. The one-armed Corri howled and dropped to his knees.

Rhuul lifted his sword again, and when his victim lifted his hand, he sliced his palm. “Ghena, how long does it take a Corri to bleed to death?” He couldn’t explain the intense need to see this man suffer. He had no reason to feel as incensed as he did, but there he stood, all but shaking with fury.

“With those wounds, not long.” Ghena’s voice was different, deeper, as if he too was filled with fury.

“I guess I’ll have to make every cut count.” Rhuul lifted both blades, ready to turn the man in front of him into minced meat.

“Rhuul, stop!” He looked over his shoulder, locking eyes with the mysterious—and now free—Avalea.

“Ava!” Ghena leaped to her waist and held on, wrapping his tail around her wrist.

“It’s good to see you too, Ghena.” She spread her lips into a small smile that changed into a grimace as she moved.

Once again he felt the lump in his throat. He was strangely aware of his shallow breaths and all but overcome with the need to look her over in search of injuries. She was a mess, but beneath the dirty clothes and tangled hair was a woman unlike any he’d ever seen.

Long, light green hair hung down to her waist; her skin was light brown. She was tall, even leaning on Talloc. He guessed she was just a few inches shorter than he was, and in that moment, he felt a need to force the Bruna’s hands off her. Long legs moved up to tantalizing hips, a small waist, and an ample chest that heaved with the effort to breathe. Full lips were parted and cracked, prompting him to pull a flagon from his belt and offer it to her.

She drank greedily, some of the water spilling from the sides of her mouth. She stared at him with eyes unlike any he’d ever seen. They were green, but they flickered as if she’d captured colored flames in her irises. He’d never seen a more exquisite creature, and even in the midst of all this, he wanted to carry her back to the inn and create a waking dream starring only her.

No. I don’t have time for this.
He shook his head and ignored the mix of feelings swirling inside him. There were plans to be made, realms to be won, and he had no room for feelings on this journey. He locked eyes with her and hardened his expression. “I’ve done as you’ve asked. Now stay the hell out of my head and leave me alone.”

Chapter 4

Avalea stared at Rhuul in shock for several moments, still guzzling the water he offered. When she emptied the flagon, he passed her another before he turned and walked toward the exit.
This can’t be my kan’na
.
There has to be a mistake. He’s … He’s a jackass.
When she’d envisioned her life mate, she pictured him rushing to her, pulling her into his arms, and kissing her passionately. Rhuul did none of these things. In fact, he was the exact opposite of what she’d expected in every way.

“Ava, your fire. It’s gone out!” Ghena held on tight, as if he could force his life energy into her.

“I’ll be fine. I just need to get out of here.” She looked over at Gali, struggling with all his might to crawl toward the far corner of the room.

“You’ll never leave here alive, half-breed. I’ll see to that.” Gali reached for a lever on the wall, trying his best to prop himself up to pull it.

“I’m proud of what I am, Gali. You should already—” A gust of wind stopped her midsentence.

Rhuul had managed to close the distance between himself and Gali in a flash, and he loomed over the Corri leader with both swords at the ready. “What did you call her?”

“Oh I see. The half-breed whore is yours. How very heroic of you to come to her rescue.” Gali continued pushing himself up on his single arm, wincing from the pain of his wounds.

She barely had time to blink. Rhuul moved both swords at once, placing the blades one on top of the other before piercing Gali’s heart.

He turned to her, walking slowly with eyes that were both threatening and glorious. He wasn’t what she expected, but she couldn’t deny his looks. She’d never seen anyone like him. He was like a walking tribute to nature, strong and powerful, tall and lean. She didn’t want to feel the pull toward him; she wanted it to be wrong, a fluke.

The urge to explain away the connection she had with him filled her head, while her heart beat faster, a counterpoint to her thoughts. Like it or not, all signs pointed to Rhuul being her
kan’na
, and she felt a mixture of feelings as he stood several feet away. She’d never wished for a comb more in her life as she held on to… “Who are you?” She turned to the Corri supporting her, and tried to pull away.

“Oh, you have me confused. I’m not one of them. I’m Talloc. I’d happily change into whatever you want.” His lips spread into a sly smile before he winked at her. “Would you prefer an Omala?” He morphed, still supporting her, only there was a problem.

“Can’t you put some clothes on?” Avalea kept her gaze on his face. She tried to pull away from him, but he pulled her closer, making her suck in a breath when he tugged on her arm.

“Take your hands off her, Talloc.” Rhuul extended a sword to the shape-shifter’s chest and waited.

He looks … is he jealous?
The scowl on Rhuul’s face would be enough to make a normal person’s blood still in their veins, but Avalea wasn’t impressed.
He’s just a hotheaded brute.

“Hey, I’m on your side, remember?” Talloc lifted his arms in surrender and took a step away from her.

She still needed the support and cursed under her breath when her legs became unsteady. She swayed, but Rhuul wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close to his body. She wanted to melt into him, but she wouldn’t allow herself to react to the demands of her nature.

“Why did he call you half-breed? What are you?” His hold on her was firm but gentle, and he stared into her with hypnotizing eyes like cinders.

She could smell the leather of his vest as he held her, the scent cloying with his natural musk. The agony in her shoulders was momentarily forgotten while she closed her eyes and inhaled a slow breath, letting him wash over her. It was a unique aroma, all male and strangely enticing, making her stomach quiver with excitement.
Damn it, it really is him. Why does my
kan’na
have to be a crazed killer?

Killer. The word and its meaning snapped her back to the present, and she slanted her eyes. “We don’t have time to talk, Rhuul. We need to get out of here.”

She didn’t think it was possible for Rhuul’s scowl to deepen, but somehow he managed to change the furrows in his brow into crevices reminiscent of gorges. “You torment my dreams asking for my help, which I gave, against my better judgment I might add, and now
we
have to get out of here? I suppose you expect me to take care of that too?”